


colors

by TheCoasts



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Minor Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-14 09:16:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16489832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCoasts/pseuds/TheCoasts
Summary: "She thinks of how it’s said that artists create their best work when they’re in pain, and it becomes clearer now, how much of an artist Blake is, as her teeth brush against her hot skin. she’s suffering, they both are, and they both convert it into something to fuel their love with despite the pain of it all, the epitome of their bond molding itself around their shared traumatism, grounding them both."





	colors

Grey is what she sees as they get on the train. _Blake is here_ , she tells herself, a mantra being repeated on a loop for the past two weeks since the battle of Haven. Grey metallic doors, grey ceilings. Grey skies when they fight to protect the rest of the train and its passengers against manticores. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Blake up in the air, hears the adrenaline-fueled _Incoming!_ thrown her way, filled with hope as she springs into action and grabs the hilt of the familiar weapon. They flirt and cut through grimm as if they had never been separated in the first place, as if the still-present wound between them wasn’t laying there, in the open. Pretending isn’t as hard as she thought it would be, and keeping up a front allows them to breathe until the inevitable happens, triggering the talk they’re both dancing around of. Blake’s amused humming rings in her head, and maybe there’s a chance for her. For them. They fight like a well-oiled machine, Gambol Shroud swinging in her direction and she catches it with no real difficulty, as it’s always been the case. It’s easy and familiar and she loves it. And she loves her.

 

Black is how she feels, anger finally bubbling to the surface as she turns around and snaps at her partner. To her surprise, Blake doesn’t back away, merely flinching and gesturing for her to sit across from her. _You were there for me all those months ago_ , she says softly and it takes her back to a time where Blake was the one needing ground control and someone to set her straight. Her hand jolts and Blake’s own slowly grabs it. _I still see him sometimes_ , she hears herself say and Blake doesn’t look up, her own gaze glued to Yang’s hand. _Me too_ , she replies after a bit. The tremors calm down but she doesn’t let go. _I thought I’d seen him on the train earlier_. Yang’s surprise doesn’t show on her face. They both know they’re still haunted by that night in Vale, and no matter the anger or walls they put up to distance themselves from it, it will remain in place until they’ve both found a way to deal with it. _I’m sorry_ , Blake says, and Yang can only look down. _You chose me, Blake_ , she finally breathes out, _You chose me as your partner and yet you left._ Blake closes her eyes, letting the words hit her full force. _I shouldn’t have left, no matter how hard I believed I was doing the right thing._ The feeling of betrayal ran cold months ago, leaving nothing but emptiness and incomprehension. She remembers telling Weiss that Blake wouldn’t come back, that she had made her choice. _Stay_ , she commands, though her voice holds nothing but a plea. _Don’t leave me again_. Blake hears the different nuances in her tone, the hidden meaning, the silent hopefulness. _I won’t_ , she says, and she believes it. They both do.

 

 Orange is the color of the cloth she’s handing to Blake. Her partner looks up in confusion, and she’s quick to show off the one she’s tied around her leg with a grin. Blake tentatively grabs it, fingers playing with the tissue, soft to her fingertips. With a smile, she closes her eyes and binds it around her neck, her hands softening the piece on her chest once it’s tied. _Now we match_ , Yang says simply, and Blake thinks about how they’re the perfect combination anyway, matching cloths or not. Then she realizes the piece smells like Yang, and her cheeks color themselves red at the thought, and her partner catches on and wink at her and she thinks of how the world could end around them at this precise moment and she wouldn’t even care.

 

 Aqua is how she perceives their embrace when they hold each other. The lights are turned down low and everything is quiet. The moon is hanging high in the night sky and she feels Blake’s hands slowly cupping her face, lips parted. She thinks of how it’s said that artists create their best work when they’re in pain, and it becomes clearer now, how much of an artist Blake is, as her teeth brush against her hot skin. She’s suffering, they both are, and they both convert it into something to fuel their love with despite the pain of it all, the epitome of their bond molding itself around their shared traumatism, grounding them both. _I’m here_ , their caresses seem to say, and for them it’s a necessity more than anything. Yang plants herself on each side of her partner, hovering over her as her mouth trails down to the cross-shaped scar on her stomach, _I know what you’re feeling_ , she breathes in the crook of her neck. The night is cold, but their hearts aren’t, and they fall asleep on a roof, the moon watching over them as they each battle against the other’s nightmares. Tomorrow, they will try to make sense of it all, but for now all they need is each other.

 

 Red surrounds her. The color seems to reflect on everything it touches, be it the bodies of the ground or the last remnants of burning buildings behind them. She remembers the screams and the clashing and the banging and the pain of it all. It still echoes against the trampled soil under her legs. Her hands are at her side, keeping her upright as she breathes in and out. Her eyes are wide and her entire body feels like it’s on fire. She barely registers Weiss calling out to her. Hands curl around her shoulders, helping her up. _Are you okay?_ Her ears are ringing, and Ruby just looks her up and down, checking for major injuries lying underneath the cuts and bruises and slashes. Her mind seems to catch up with her as she starts to frantically looks around the battlefield, her eyes darting back and forth between her teammates and the rest of the survivors, trying to relay the pain-ridden message her heart is currently aching for. _Where’s Blake?_ Ruby and Weiss shake their head. A small part of her thinks she may have left yet again, and Yang is quick to shut off that thought. She wills her legs to move and goes to Jaune and Nora, standing to the side not far off the rest of team RWBY. Nora’s normally overexcited demeanor is calm and quiet, and it only worries Yang more. _How many people had they lost today?_ She had lost count at some point, cries of agony getting drowned out in the course of the battle. In her quest to find her missing partner, she comes across Ren, his arm lying across his stomach. She quickly gestures Nora over, and she feels relief as she sees Ren opening his eyes. Jaune doesn’t waste a minute, hands hovering over Ren’s bent arm. _Blake, where are you?_ A pained cry resonates in the distance, and she’s running before she can even think about it. She comes to a stop when she sees Blake, half-stumbling half-walking between the bodies of fallen students and teachers and huntsmen, slowly but surely making her way to Yang. Covered in scratches and contusions, a deep gash running from across her nose, caked blood clinging to her clothes and skin. She takes another step and falls into Yang’s arms, meeting her halfway to the ground. _We did it_ , it’s short, it’s three words, but it’s more than any outcome they imagined being possible. She wipes the blood off the corner of Yang’s mouth, and their lips meet. Their kiss seems to last hours, days even, as the adrenaline and the fear and the worry all wash away from their minds, _We’re alive_ , Blake mumbles against her mouth and Yang surprises the both of them when she starts laughing. She laughs and soon Blake joins her, and none of them really know why they’re laughing, but their face muscles hurt like they haven’t laughed in years so they just take it as a sign that they don’t need to stop.

Ruby, Weiss and Jaune finds them half an hour later, still staring at the other like the rest doesn’t matter. It does, and they know it, but pretending can do no harm. They kiss again, Blake’s arms loose around Yang’s neck, their injuries all but forgotten but they figure out that if they made it this far already, a few more minutes couldn't possibly hurt.

 

 Green is the grass under them. They’re lying in a clearing behind Tai’s house, enjoying the time away. It’s been a couple of years since the battle against Salem, and their injuries are nothing but healed, red-brown scars. They’re holding hands, cuddled up together, watching the sky above them as the sun starts to descend west. _I wish we could stay like this_ , Yang murmurs. The word forever hangs in the air, but neither of them feels necessary to add it. They just know. Their life is different now, it’s calmer, and it’s full of missions across Remnant, and full of dangers, but there’s no evil-ridden entity hell-bent of destroying them, and no force they can’t compete with. Blake thinks of all the things she could possible say in this moment, but nothing comes to her mind. She’s not scared anymore. Neither is Yang, as she pulls out a small black velvet box out of her back pocket. _Let’s make it to forever_. She had an entire speech prepared, but none of the words she practiced sounds right as she stares at Blake. And Blake produces a ring out of her own coat, amusement written all over her face. _Let’s_ , she simply states with a smile. Their eyes shine as they each puts their rings around the other’s finger. And Yang thinks that somehow it was the best way to propose to her.

 

 Multiple colors dances around her as she makes her way towards the one person she can’t get her eyes off. One glance and she’s overwhelmed, memorizing each of her traits as she thinks of her heart safely tucked in her ribcage, protected by Blake’s devotion to her existence and her happiness. _I don’t deserve any of this_ , she tells herself and Blake’s forehead furrows as if she’s heard the words. She grabs her hand and pulls her closer, gently swaying to the music while everyone else looks on. She puts her hand against Blake’s cheek, her thumb caressing the soft skin. Her eyes don’t leave Blake’s and it feels like time itself stopped, just to allow them to greedily take a few more minutes just for themselves. It’s their moment, and she basks in it. They both do, as they twirl around, the guests applauding them with fervor and laughing when they smile at each other. _It’s our day_ , she repeats herself. She loves it, and she loves her.

 

 And today, the universe owes them. And tomorrow, it will repay its debt. And the day after that, and the day after that again. Until they’re both old and grey and ready to go, knowing their existences were enough that they could make them live a hundred years through the stories of the people they knew. And when they pass away, silently, humbly, their souls will meet again and dance in the sky like colors of the rainbows floating in the rain illuminated by a bright sun.


End file.
